TEXT: Philippians 2:12-18
TITLE: To LIVE - SHINE
SERIES: To Live
TOPIC: live a life of holiness
OCCASION: Burnside Christian Church July 12, 2009
PROP.: It’s important to let others see how you live your life so that they may be won and that you may live blameless…
INTRODUCTION: Good morning! Thanks for being here today! We are exactly half way through a sermon series where we are studying through the New Testament book of Philippians.
What we’re doing is we’re trying to figure out how to live life. In fact, we entitled our series: TO LIVE. And so we’re journeying through the book of Philippians (which was written by the Apostle Paul as he sits in prison) and there are some key things that Paul is telling us we need to experience in order to live life to it’s maximum potential.
Now it seems as though society is fixated on celebrities. There are TV shows that are famous because they give us an inside glimpse of their lives. There are magazines that are popular because they give us the juicy details of the lives of the rich and famous. And there are books written by celebrities that tell us even more details about their life. Why are all of these things so popular today?
Because we want to know how to live life well. We think that the rich…the famous…the popular…the privileged…THOSE are the people who are doing life right because look at them…they have EVERYTHING they ever wanted.
But is that right? What do we see in the lives of many celebrities?
1. We see relationships that fail. We see how many times celebrities are married and then re-married! We see kids who don’t know who mom or dad are.
2. We see people that struggle with addictions. It seems like alcohol and drug re-hab is just part of the journey if you’re a celebrity.
3. We see pain in their lives. We see a lot of depression in their lives. We see suicide. We see murder.
All of this in the lives of the people our society tells us are living lives that are to be enjoyed!
We are led to believe that these people have it all!!!! And that we should be living just like they are living.
But the question I have is: Do they have joy?
You see, we are studying the book of Philippians that is written by a prisoner and we’re learning how to live life. And what makes Paul an authority on how to live life is that he has JOY! He doesn’t have wealth…he isn’t popular…but what he does have is joy! He has meaning. He has purpose!
And so Paul is writing this letter to you and to me and he’s telling us there are certain things we need to have in order to have JOY in our life! There are things that we need to experience if we are truly going to be living this life to the full!
So far, Paul has told us:
Week #1 - GRACE & PEACE. We need to become slaves of Jesus Christ and once we are sold out and serving Christ unconditionally, Christ grants us grace and peace!
Week #2 - GROW. We learned that God is working in your life. God wants you to grow into the person He desires you to be. He is using all the good stuff that has happened to you in this life and all the bad stuff that has happened to you in life to mould you and shape you into the person He would have you become!
Week #3 - DELIVERANCE. We also learned that we need to understand about God’s deliverance. That if we want to experience everything that this life has to offer, understand that you will be delivered from your suffering and pain. Either the suffering and pain will come to an end…or you will…but either way, you will be delivered and life will be good!!!
Week #4 - HUMILITY. And last week we learned that if we want to have joy in this life then we are going to seek to get along with others around us…that includes those you go to church with. And so you must experience humility. You must 1 - see the big picture. 2 - you must lay pride aside…and you must 3 - move from “me” to “we”. Be concerned about the needs of others.
So what are we going to learn about life this week from Paul?
Let’s read and find out.
Our text is Philippians 2:12-18
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
(So what Paul is saying is this: When I first came to visit and start the church in Philippi, you guys were so faithful…so obedient to Jesus and that‘s awesome! But now that I’m gone, continue being faithful and obedient to Christ. Press hard into Christ. Get close. Lean on Him even more in my absence.
And then he says, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling. It’s an imperative. It’s a command. I command you: Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
How many of you as you’ve been reading through the book of Philippians once a week, have come across this statement and you were confused by it? What’s he talking about?
Well here’s what we know: First of all, we know that we ourselves can’t save ourselves. It’s impossible! In fact, if you know something of the Pharisees, they tried that. It didn’t work. They thought that by keeping all of God’s commands perfectly, that they would ultimately be saved!
But here’s the thing: What you come to realize in trying to keep all of the laws of God is that you can’t keep all the laws of God.
No one is perfect…only God. And if you want to hang out with God for eternity, you have to be perfect…and because God loved us so much He devised a way for us humans who are NOT perfect (and who are never going to be perfect on our own) to be made perfect by having our sins forgiven through the blood sacrifice of God’s son - Jesus Christ.
So the loop hole is this: Get to know Jesus…accept His sacrifice for your sins…get made perfect in God’s eyes…get to spend an eternity with God!!!!
So how do I accept Jesus’ sacrifice for my sins? You don’t just say, “ok…I accept it…”
Romans 6 tells us that we accept Christ’s sacrifice for our sins when we are baptized…we become UNITED with Him in His death…and we will surely be UNITED with Him in his resurrection!
So once you become a Christian - a Christ follower - can you live any old way you want to? You see, some believe that once you are saved, it’s impossible to lose your salvation! Once saved, always saved?
But let me tell you a little bit about this word salvation. “Work out your salvation” is what Paul says.
The word he uses for salvation is used in two different ways:
1. Past / present tense. Meaning that there is a moment in your life when you moved from not being saved…to being saved!
ILLUSTRATION: For me, that came when I was 11 years old. I became a Christian when I was 11 and so salvation happened when I was 11.
Let me give you an example of this.
2 Corinthians 6:1,2
“As God fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For God says, ‘in the time of my favor I heard you and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Now is the time of God’s favor…now is the day of salvation.”
So what Paul is saying is that Salvation is a time where you can look back in your life and you can pinpoint down a time when you sent from being un-saved to saved!
For someone here today, maybe you’re not saved…TODAY could be your day of salvation! If you believe in Him, put your trust in Him and you are saved!
So Salvation is a past event…a past moment where you can point to it and say, “I WAS SAVED ON ____ DAY.”
But then there’s another way that Paul uses this same word for Salvation.
2. It’s in the future tense. About a day to come!
Let me give you an example of that found in
Romans 13:11
11...The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”
So Paul clearly states that Salvation is not only a present / past act, but it’s a future act as well! And salvation is closer now than it was yesterday! This is what Paul is talking about…
So what is Paul talking about. Is salvation past or present? It’s both!
There is a moment when you’re saved, but there is also a time in the future when you’re temptations…your struggles…the pain and the suffering of living here on this planet…when all of that is going to come to an end. And in that moment, salvation is going to experienced!
So salvation is both a past event and a future experience.
So what does Paul say when he says, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling…”
Paul is saying REMAIN IN SALVATION! HOLD ON TO YOUR SALVATION! REMAIN IN CHRIST AND YOU WILL BE SAVED!
ILLUSTRATION: Confused? Maybe this will clear it up.
Let’s pretend for a minute that I’m God (WHAT A STRETCH!), and let’s say that this person is out drowning in the ocean. And I’m with the coast guard flying around in my big chopper. And I’m flying around to save her. And to save her, I’m hovering above her. And I holler out: “Do you want to be saved?” and she’s like, “Yes I want to be saved!”
I’m going to throw you a line…and this line is Jesus. And you’re like, “Great!”
MAKING A CHOICE
So what I’m going to do is throw you Jesus. And so what she did is when she grabbed onto Jesus, she made a choice. Made a decision to be saved! That was HER decision. It wasn’t her parents decision. It wasn’t her spouses’ decision. IT was her decision.
SAVED SAVED?
Now the big question is: Is she saved? Yep! But she is still in the water. The rain is beating down on her. The wind is still blowing around her, the waves are still ferocious…she is still in peril. She still has some serious issues.
HOLD ON TO JESUS!
And so what she has to do is what? She has to continue to hold on to Jesus! Now if she lets go of Jesus what happens? She plunges back into the ocean. But if she remains in Jesus, what happens? There will come a time when her salvation is fulfilled. It’s the moment when she gets into the chopper and we take her home! All right?
And that’s the whole idea that Paul is getting at. Salvation is a process!
It began one day, but you have to remain in it, you have to work at it. Now are you saving yourself? No. But if I understand that holding onto a rope in the middle of a storm, the rope can be wet, the rope can be slippery, it can be hard to hold on. The winds are going to blow, it’s one of those things that isn’t a given…you must remain holding on…you must remain in Christ!
You must work out your salvation with fear and trembling! It’s something serious. Something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Ok, let’s keep reading. Verse 14
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out[c] the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.
Let’s stop right there for a moment…
This is the heart of the message today. This is what we learn about how to live life from Paul this week…
That is: to Live: SHINE!
In order to get as much joy out of this life as possible…SHINE!
You see, for the majority of us in here…we have the rope…are holding onto the rope waiting to be pulled into the helicopter! We have received Christ and we’re waiting to go to heaven.
And while we are holding onto Jesus waiting to go to heaven, it is imperative that we SHINE!!!!! And not just shine…but That we shine like stars in the universe!!!
I. Characteristics of stars:
Stars in Bible times played a vital role.
A. They show the way
Sailors would depend on stars because they didn’t have GPS they would look up into the heavens and figure out where they should be based on the location of the stars!
Your behavior should point people in the way they should live! Shine! Show people the way!
Jesus Himself said: Matthew 5:16 NIV Read this chapter
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
SHOW THE WAY TO LIVE WITH YOUR LIFE!
Stars also
B. They tell a story
Star formations called Constellations would represent certain shapes in the sky and people would often make up stories concerning these constellations or star formations.
I wonder…what story is your life telling others? Does your life tell others that you believe in a God who created you and has a purpose and a plan for you? Or does your life tell the story of a person who is living life selfishly for their own purpose?
Paul says to shine…shine like stars in the universe!
BUT THEN NOTICE WHAT PAUL SAYS…
T.S.: Paul gives two ways to SHINE like stars!!!
II. DON’T COMPLAIN (vs. 14,15)
Verse 14 “14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation…”
I find verse 14 very interesting. Can you think back to a group of people who were called God’s children. It’s in the Old Testament. That’s right. The Israelites. You remember them right?
A. Original whiners
They were slaves in Egypt until God saved them and brought them out of Egypt. He gave them a land of their own and a leader to follow - Moses.
But if you remember…what did those Children of God do as they were traveling out of Egypt? THEY COMPLAINED!!!! THEY GRUMBLED!!!
And we look at them and wonder, how could you complain?? You are free! You are loved! You have a God who cares!
And Paul commands us to not be like them…don’t complain. About each other. About circumstances. Don’t complain to each other!
Be different!
B. I’m a whiner!
But then I look at myself and I think, am I really that different? I’m guilty of complaining just as much as they were! And if only I could see the big picture and realize that my life isn’t all that bad…that God will supply all of my needs…then maybe I could focus on shining! I HAVE SALVATION!!! And I’m complaining and arguing? It goes back to what we talked about last week…SEE THE BIG PICTURE! Don’t complain…don’t argue with one another…why? So you can SHINE!!!
So others can see God’s LOVE! Not hate or anger.
Another way to shine…
III. POUR OUT YOUR LIFE (vs. 17, 18)
A. Paul’s EXAMPLE (vs. 17 & 18)
17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
What Paul does, is he closes out this section with some downright honesty. He says, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me. I’m going to give my life to you…I am going to pour out my life for you so that Christ may be seen in me. So that I can shine!
And the image he uses is that of a drink offering. Most of our experiences with offerings is those that take place in the Old Testament. Usually animals were what was sacrificed. They would take the animal and burn the animal or pour the blood over it.
Well what would happen in the Old Testament would be there would be some wealthy people who owned vineyards and they would take their wine and they would want to give it as a tithe to the Lord. So what they would do is offer drink offerings.
What they would do is fill a cup or a pitcher and fill it with their wine and then they would pour their wine out on the altar. Obviously symbolizing that they were giving this to God!
And so what Paul is saying is I want to be a drink offering. I want to pour my life out. Whatever it is I can do, I want to pour it out to Jesus Christ. And however it ends, I’m ok with that. I don’t get to call the results. I don’t get to see how it all ends. I’m going to simply pour out my life for the sake of Jesus Christ!
And so we come full circle. In our first sermon of this series, Paul declared boldly that he is a slave of Jesus Christ. And here he is affirming that he is going to serve in whatever way he can…he is going to pour out his life in service of Jesus Christ!
Only Paul isn’t going to give 10% of his life…he’s going to pour out his ENTIRE self upon the altar…I’m gonna let it flow…and whatever happens I’m ok with it!
But what we learn is that you have to…
B. Make it count
A lot of us pour out our lives into a lot of stuff…
We have our drink offering, and let’s say this pitcher represents your entire life. And what a lot of us do is we divide up our drink offering.
We give some of ourselves to our family. And what happens? Well there is some joy there but really…but there’s some frustrations.
And then we pour some of ourselves to our career. And again, there’s a little joy….but there’s frustration…
Or maybe we pour a little bit into our ministry or some time that we give to the Lord…
And we do the same thing to our
Hobbies…leisure times
And then we go through life and we wish we could shine. We wish we had joy. But you see, here’s the difference, this is what he found out!
What he chose to do is that he took everything he had and poured it first and foremost into Jesus Christ.
Everything! And you see what happens? It filters into your jobs. It filters into your family. It filters in to your ministry.
Give Jesus EVERYTHING and see what He does in your family. See what he does in your marriage. See what he does in your life.
This is how Paul chose to live! And as he sits in prison he has discovered that in order to really live, he is going to shine! And no matter how it turns out…Paul is ok with that because he has given his all to Jesus Christ!
What about you? Are you willing to shine? Are you wanting to shine for God’s glory?
PRAY: Heavenly Father, I thank you for providing for us…for giving to us all that we need. My prayer this morning is really simple. I pray that we may get to the point, God, where will give everything to you! Where we as individuals and as a Church will pour out our lives for your sake…that we would do what you want us to do. That we would treat our families the way that you would have us treat them. That we would spend our money on things you would have us spend our money on things. God continue to teach us…continue to SHINE through us!
